"I Got Benihana Issues": Our 10 Favorite Rap Lyrics About Benihana

Is there any restaurant that rappers love more than Benihana? The vaguely Japanese chain—known for its theatrical chefs and massive portions of seafood and fried rice—seems to be name-checked almost as often as top-shelf liquor in the hip-hop canon. Sometimes, the reasons are opportunistic: The high-flying chopping skills of the Benihana staff make for easy metaphors about slicing up foes, slinging drugs, and the like. But it would also appear that a lot of rappers simply love onion volcanos, Hibachi Chateaubriand, and Beni-Tinis.

Want some evidence? Click through the slideshow to listen to our 10 favorite Benihana references in rap. When you’re done, we highly recommend reading this hilarious essay on the topic, which we found while trying to make sense of some of these couplets over at RapGenius.com.

Is there any restaurant that rappers love more than Benihana? The vaguely Japanese chain—known for its theatrical chefs and massive portions of seafood and fried rice—seems to be name-checked almost as often as top-shelf liquor in the hip-hop canon. Sometimes, the reasons are opportunistic: The high-flying chopping skills of the Benihana staff make for easy metaphors about slicing up foes, slinging drugs, and the like. But it would also appear that a lot of rappers simply love onion volcanos, Hibachi Chateaubriand, and Beni-Tinis.
Want some evidence? Click through the slideshow to listen to our 10 favorite Benihana references in rap. When you're done, we highly recommend reading this hilarious essay on the topic, which we found while trying to make sense of some of these couplets over at RapGenius.com.

"We started out as a crew, when one speak, it’s all honest/Private conferences when we eat, Benihana’s."

Artist: Obie Trice
Song: The Snitch
Benihana is a rather boisterous joint, and probably not the best place for a secretive meeting—let alone "private conferences." Still, this Obie Trice line remains one of our favorites from the Detroit rapper.

"I’m the Benihana chef on the SP12/I chop the fuck out the beats left on the shelf."

Artist: Beastie Boys
Song: Putting Shame in Your Game
While most rappers compare the Benihana chefs' chopping skills to their ability to cut up cocaine, the Beastie Boys give the metaphor a more musical spin.

"Eating, I ain’t talking vegan/We at Benihana like twice on every weekend."

Artist: Dom Kennedy
Song: Grind'n
Two things we like about this: The notion that being vegan is tantamount to not eating, and the thought of being a real regular at Benihana—we wonder what the off-the-menu specials are for VIPs.

"Look at my persona, I dreamed it, woke up and conquered/And there was commas after commas, I eat 'em like Benihanas/Put the shrimp over the pasta, the pasta over the lobster/And the lobster over the table, power circle a mafia."

Artist: Meek Mill
Song: Power Circle
Pretty sure there is no pasta at Benihana, but whatever Meek Mill is talking does sound pretty powerful.

"Ain’t nothing changed but the name on the mail/Still kicking doors with them things in the air/Up in Benihanas, see me slang in them chair."

Artist: T.I.
Song: Big Things Poppin'
Even when T.I. got famous, he still maintained that he would slang some 'caine in Benihana if push came to shove.

"In a conversation over shrimp and lobster/At Benihanas, heard Chico stopped boxing, and started robbing diners."

Artist: 50 Cent
Song: Ghetto Qu'ran (Forgive Me)
You can see Fiddy himself break down this lyric over at RapGenius.com.

"Drop you for your spot with the blazer then I blast you/Slice precise like Benihanas when I come to bring the dramas."

Artist: Gang Starr
Song: Make 'Em Pay
Back in the late '90s, rappers were more likely to use the Benihana chef knife skills as a metaphor for violence, not selling drugs. Guru set the tone for many to come.

"I cut that ass like the chef at Benihanas."

Artist: Lord Finesse
Song: No Gimmicks
It's possible that this was the first reference to Benihana ever committed to wax. Groundbreaking.

"Been into plenty drama/Flame it like Benihana."

Artist: Camron
Song: Can't Hurt My Style
Surprisingly, Camron is one of the few rappers to refer to the restaurant correctly—it's Benihana, not Benihana's.

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